DESCRIPTION

The Whitney museum focuses on American art from the 20th and 21st centuries, and the institute prides itself on exhibiting the work of living artists. The eclectic collection is a must-see for contemporary art lovers, and the museum’s international biennial exhibition has long been a venue for emerging and under represented artists. The Whitney’s permanent collection holds more than 18,000 pieces by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, Cindy Sherman, and Mark Rothko. The current 7-story museum is located on Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side, but construction is underway for a new main building in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. The building will mark the southern entrance of the High Line park, and construction is expected to be complete by 2015.

READER REVIEWS (3)

The Whitney is great. A totally manageable amount of art for even the not so artsy tourist or resident of New York. The layout is great, but sometimes I fear their exhibits go over some people’s heads. The Roni Horn and Georgia O”Keeffe exhibits last year were spectacular.

My favorite way to enjoy the Whitney is to start at the bottom and take the stairs up to each floor- which ends up being great because most people take the elevator to the top and work their way down. They have had some incredible exhibitions- one of my all time faves being Gordon Matta-Clark. The Whitney Biennial is always a scene, even if it is hit or miss. I’m curious to see the new location- I kind of think that the Meatpacking district needs a museum.